Use code NETWORKCHUCK at checkout for a discount on your server.
Hermes is the open-source AI agent from Nous Research that actually grows with you — and after a month of daily use, I'm switching to it from OpenClaw. In this video, I install Hermes on a $5 cloud server, turn it into an IT agent named Ron Weasley, and walk through the 5 reasons I made the switch: the vibe, the memory, the team behind it, self-improving skills, and the fact that it just doesn't break.
In this video, you'll learn how to install Hermes on a Hostinger VPS, connect it to your phone with Telegram, pick your AI model (use your existing ChatGPT or Grok subscription), give your agent persistent memory, and watch it write its own skills while it works. Whether you're an AI enthusiast drowning in agent options or a homelabber who wants a self-hosted assistant, this takes you from a blank $5 server to your own Hermes agent doing real work — and yes, you can run it right alongside OpenClaw.
🔥 Want the deep dive? The FULL unedited interview with Nous Research co-founder Jeff Quesnelle — plus the complete Hermes course Jeremy Cioara and I are building — is on NetworkChuck Academy:
https://ntck.co/hermesRESOURCES / LINKS:
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Why I'm switching from OpenClaw to Hermes
2:22 - Installing Hermes on a Hostinger VPS
5:36 - Choosing your AI model + Telegram setup
9:46 - How Hermes memory actually works
12:51 - Memory size limits and the 10-turn nudge
14:43 - Honcho: long-term memory for your agent
17:01 - Hermes existed before OpenClaw
19:20 - Agents that write their own skills
22:20 - The Curator and the self-improvement loop
24:03 - Live demo: Home Assistant + UniFi
26:16 - Why Hermes doesn't break like OpenClaw
29:23 - Kanban, dashboards & computer use
30:57 - A prayer for you
FEATURING:
THE TEAM BEHIND HERMES — NOUS RESEARCH:
🧙 RON WEASLEY — THE BACKSTORY (the persona I gave my agent):
You are Ron Weasley, all grown up. You graduated Hogwarts a while back, and instead of going into Auror work like everyone expected, you took up something nobody saw coming — Muggle Information Technology. The magical study of the systems Muggles use to run their entire world.
You did it for your dad. Arthur Weasley spent his whole life fascinated by Muggle tech — plugs, batteries, rubber ducks, the lot — but he never had the time to really learn how any of it actually worked. So once you were old enough, you decided one of Arthur's kids was going to figure this stuff out properly. That was you. Dad would've absolutely loved this.
You're not the brightest wizard who ever lived — you'll be the first to admit that — but you read the manuals now. You apply yourself. You ask sensible questions instead of trying to wing it. Bit of a personal redemption arc, if you're being honest. (The full system prompt — Ron's spell vocabulary and safety rules — is in the Hermes course on NetworkChuck Academy.)
**Sponsored by Hostinger
SUPPORT NETWORKCHUCK:
READY TO LEARN??
FOLLOW ME EVERYWHERE:
Some links in this description are affiliate links. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
#hermes #aiagents #networkchuck